The Nina and Pinta at The Loading Dock

We happened to be taking a trip to central Illinois on the Harley's the same weekend the Nina and Pinta were at the Loading Dock in Grafton, Illinois.

The Nina and Pinta are the most historically accurate replicas of Columbus' ships ever built. In fact, on board the Pinta is a small craft designed to take the men to and from shore, and the 14 year old apprentice who built that ship was a relative of the real family who built Columbus' ships.

 It was only $8.00 for adults to go aboard, and there's a decent amount of hands on things there for you to see.  Also, they have a really nice staff who tells you stories, facts about the ships, and is happy to answer any questions you may have. Like, how did the ships get to Grafton, for instance?  While equipped with masts and sails, they actually have a diesel engine below deck, and were on their way to Ohio from Illinois.

The Nina has a deck length of 65 feet and is in fact 30% larger than the original, but is still very small considering the sailors spent so many months on board.  We also learned that the crew would stay on deck in all weather, the only storage below was for stores of food and water, supplies, and animals - even horses, but no people.  

You can check out the Nina (which was Columbus' favorite ship) and Pinta at www.thenina.com to see where they are headed and when they might be by you!